Ninja Foodi meatloaf is the bomb! Juicy in the center with a crispy barbecue sauce on the outside. All cooked in this pressure cooker and air fryer machine. Just one of our favorite one pot dinner Ninja Foodi recipes.
Did you just get this nifty device and looking for more easy ground beef recipes in this multi-cooker? Well, this one is simple, cheap and just amazing! It may become your go to from this day forward. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Meatloaf Recipe
If you have only used your oven to make this Old Fashioned meal you are in for a real treat. You can now pressure cook it to tender and then air crisp the top with barbecue sauce so it caramelizes and bakes right on to the top. Beyond delicious is how I would explain this meal if you ask me.
This is one of the first meals we made in our machine when we first got it. I guess I grew up on this pan of hamburger comfort food so it was on my mind to see if I could make it even better than cooked in the oven and it was!! Nice thing is the texture is better and cook time for how long to cook meatloaf is less too.
Ingredients
- Ground beef or you could use half ground sausage and half ground beef or turkey, your choice
- Air fryer basket (use the one included) or use this air fryer grill pan
- Bread crumbs will bind it all together, we used Italian style
- French onion soup mix is an easy way to add flavor
- A bit of Ranch dressing mix is something I like to add but optional
- Dehydrated onions
- I prefer these because regular onions will add moisture
- Garlic powder or other seasonings you love should be added
- Egg will bind all the ingredients together
- Barbecue sauce we like on the top, or ketchup to add flavor
How to Make Ninja Foodi Meatloaf
- First you pressure cook your meatloaf so the meat gets done
- Keep in mind the timing below cooks the meat so there is no pink left. If you like yours less done adjust timing accordingly.
- Then you’ll drain the water inside your pot, (set potatoes aside if you added them), return the basket with your meatloaf inside and pour barbecue sauce on top.
- Close your air fryer lid. That is the one that is attached.
- In 8-12 minutes crisp the outside of your meatloaf will become wonderfully crusty like we like it here.
- This is subjective so if you like it really crispy you’ll set closer to 12 minutes, or less if you just want a tad.
with Potatoes
You can actually make an entire meal in this too with cubed taters on the bottom!! You follow the same directions except chop 2 peeled large russet potatoes into 1-2″ pieces and put into the bottom with the water. They will steam to very tender so you can make Ninja Foodi mashed potatoes with them when done!
What lid should you use?
In our directions you are going to use both Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and air fryer functions. This way you get it as tender as possible inside but we do like a bit of crisp on the outside so a few minutes are at the end for that too. In the case you just wanted to use one, follow our air fryer meatloaf wrapped with bacon instead.
Can you make meatloaf into meatballs?
Yes! If you wanted this done faster in smaller forms use the same meat mixture to make this into bite size pieces with homemade meatballs in air fryer directions here. That is a fun one we enjoy as is with sauce on top for a meal or thrown in with spaghetti.
You could as long as they fit inside the pot. You can place inside the inner basket with holes on the bottom or set on a trivet at the very bottom which would fit a larger size. In the case of making meatloaf in it, we don’t use a pan at all!
Why we love Ninja foodi meatloaf
- This quick meatloaf recipe requires no preheating of the oven at all.
- Perfect when it’s hot outside and you don’t want to heat up your house.
- It is healthier because the fat drains away from the meat in the pressure cooking process.
- There are holes at the bottom of the air fryer basket used.
- You can adjust how crunchy the outside gets easily.
- The air crisp lid can be lifted up and checked often so it doesn’t burn. Adding more time is as easy and pushing a button.
Are you ready to try it now??!! Seriously, it is the only way we make meatloaf anymore. Forget the loaf pan in the oven, this is a game changer!!
What is the best side dish?
I would say our two favorite pressure cooker recipes to serve with this is either Ninja Foodi rice, Ninja Foodi air fryer vegetables or mashed potatoes. By way of vegetables I usually throw one of these in:
- Air fryer frozen tater tots smothered with cheese
- Ninja Foodi spaghetti is amazing with melted cheese on top.
How to save leftovers
If you have leftovers, store in airtight containers in the fridge when it is cooled to room temperature. They will stay good for up to 3 days and can be reheated as is or chopped up and used in ground beef recipes.
How do you moisten leftover meatloaf?
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Spray nonstick cooking spray onto the bottom of a baking dish.
- Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce, bbq sauce, or gravy in the bottom
- Lay slices of your dried up meatloaf inside
- Pour another thin layer of your sauce on top
- Bake for approx 10 minutes or until it’s as hot as you desire
Ninja Foodi Meatloaf
Equipment
- 1 ninja foodi
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, could use half ground sausage too
- 1/2 c bread crumbs, we used Italian style
- 1 packet French onion soup mix
- 1 tbsp Ranch dressing mix
- 2 tsp dehydrated onions
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 green onion , diced, optional
- 1 egg, can leave out if you need it to be egg free, but is much moister with it
- 3/4 c barbecue sauce, to be added once meatloaf is pressure cooked
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients (except the bbq sauce) in a bowl until all powder is incorporated well into the meat.
- Form into a round or oval pattie with the same thickness all the way around so it cooks evenly. Add 1.5 c water into the inner pot of your Foodi. (if you wanted to add peeled 1" cubed potatoes add in with liquid now)
- Place meat into air fryer basket and lower that into your inner pot.
- Close pressure cooker lid (one that isn’t attached) and then turn Foodi on.
- Press pressure button, high, for 25 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release steam for 5-10 minutes. Then release rest of steam.
- Remove lid, pour water out of your inner pot (remove potatoes and set aside if added) and pour barbecue sauce on top of your meatloaf patty. Sprinkle green onions on top if desired now.
- Close air crisp lid (one that is attached). Press air crisp button, 390 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Then remove meatloaf, slice and serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much water do you put to pressure cook? Says empty water.
I put 1.5 cups of water while pressure cooking then drained the water for the air crisping. It was delicious!
I just bought the Ninja Deluxe xl pressure cooker oh my I have so much to learn , I am making meatloaf my first effort . All of you have been helpful and of course thank you Typical Mom for Recipe. Just wasn’t sure how much ground beef you used , I did 1.5 lb and hope for the best! Thanks
You’re welcome! Yes it was about 1.5 lbs.
What if you don’t have the French onion soup mix? Can you omit it?
Yes, it just won’t have as much flavor
Thanks! I am gluten free and I was not able to find dry soup that didn’t contain gluten. I’ll sub something else.
I’m wondering how it bonds without eggs?
I have always added an egg.
I added an egg it turned out amazing!
Awesome!!
Amazing. Tried this tonight and it’s by far the most moist meatloaf ever!!!
Yay so glad it was a hit!!
I tried this recipe last night, and unintentionally left out the egg, (mom brain), I had added a small amount (maybe a 1/4 cup) of bbq sauce to the meat while mixing it already. So when I found the egg still sitting on the counter I figured I would just see how it turned out.
It was delicious, it wasn’t too dry, it stayed together just fine.
Glad it was still a hit!
Also wondering how doubling the recipe would change cooking time. 1 pound of meat will not feed my family.
What is the pressure cooking time for 2lbs of meat?
It depends on how well done you want the inside to be. If you want it a bit pink inside then leave the timing the same. If you want it the color you see here I might add 2 minutes more to the pressure cooking time.
Can I do the pressure cooking remove the liquid and then leave the meatloaf in the basket for like an hour and then crisp later?
Leaving it for that long I would think would dry it out.
Does the 3/4 cup of barbeque sauce get mixed into the meat? Or reserved for the end? First step says to combine all ingredients so wasn’t sure…
No that is added to top at the end before using air crisp.
Pressure time the same if I double the recipe?
Hey everyone, I am going to try this meatloaf for supper tonight, but I need help, its says to release the PC naturally, I don’t know what that means if I just leave mine alone the PC counts down then goes to warm setting and starts counting up.so I guess I need to figure out how. Please let me know I want to make this tonight but only had my ninja foodi less than 2 wks and need someone to help teach me the basics, ty for your time
Ok so natural release means you don’t touch the steam valve to let it out. The machine will very slowly release the steam itself. So if your recipe says to naturally release for say 10 minutes then yes it will count up on your machine and when it says 10:00 then you flip the steam valve so the rest can come out. Hope that helps
So does that mean to release at the 10 minute mark of the countdown timer? Confused by the post and the recipe, seems to contradict. Please advise. Thanks!
what is the actual cook time for the meatloaf…is it 40 min on pressure cook?
No. Read it.
25 minutes pressure cook.
10 natrual release.
10 air fryer.
Awesome idea using the Air Fryer for meatloaf! Thanks for sharing!
I love both the Instant Pot and Air Fryer but I never thought about using them together. The Ninja Foodi system with both in one sounds like a real time and space saver. The meatloaf looks delicious and I’m one of those people that love the outside crispy so this is definitely for me.